The field of the invention relates generally to electrical power distribution systems, and more specifically to systems and methods of sensing and monitoring electrical current flow through a conductor in an electrical circuit.
In electrical products and systems of various types, current sensing is performed for a variety of reasons. Current sensing and monitoring facilitates oversight and control of equipment and processes in various aspects, as well as facilitates circuit protection functionality. Various different types of contact and non-contact current sensors are presently used today, including but not necessarily limited to resistance shunts, current transformers (CTs), hall-effect sensors and fiber-optic current sensors (FOCS) that use the magneto-optic effect (Faraday effect).
In many residential-type electrical power systems where current sensing is required, the relative cost of conventional current sensors is high and as such the use of current sensors has been limited for residential applications. For electrical products including current sensing capability, the cost of the current sensor components can account for as much as 50% of the total product cost. For industrial and commercial-type products requiring current sensing, the sensing components can account for as much as 20% of the total system cost. The relatively high cost of presently utilized current sensor technology is an impediment to otherwise beneficial adoption of current sensing on a broader scale in the electrical industry. Lower cost and/or simpler current sensing solutions are accordingly desired.